Popiah — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Delicate paper-thin crepes wrapped around a filling of braised jicama and carrot with shrimp, egg, lettuce, and crushed peanuts, finished with sweet sauce and chili — a Singaporean fresh spring roll masterpiece.

Ingredients

Popiah skin: 12 thin spring roll crepes (store-bought or handmade)
Filling: 500g jicama (bangkuang), julienned, 2 carrots julienned, 200g prawns chopped, 3 cloves garlic minced, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, salt, 200ml water
Condiments: sweet flour sauce (tian mian jiang), chili sauce, minced garlic
Toppings: 3 eggs (make thin omelette, shredded), 100g bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, 80g crushed roasted peanuts, cilantro, fried shallots

Instructions

1 Braise the filling: stir-fry garlic, add jicama and carrot, add soy sauce, sugar, salt, and water. Cook on low heat for 30-40 minutes until tender and slightly dry. Add chopped prawns in the last 5 minutes.
2 Make thin egg omelettes and shred finely.
3 Lay out a popiah skin on a flat surface. Spread a thin layer of sweet sauce and chili.
4 Place a lettuce leaf, then a generous portion of braised filling.
5 Top with shredded egg, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, fried shallots, and cilantro.
6 Fold the bottom up, fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Cut in half diagonally to serve.

Did You Know?

Making popiah is traditionally a communal family affair — everyone gathers around the table with the spread of fillings and wraps their own rolls.